Jul 27, 2016

The gift of clean filtered water....

Sometime as humans, we tend to forget ourselves, and begin to be greedy, fussy and even take a lot of things for granted. I know I am also guilty of doing that sometimes too. We never take into consideration how there are so many more people in the world living life with lesser means...and well, this trip I took to Kampung Ulu Geruntum definitely was eye opening...

We were brought to Kampung Ulu Geruntum by a convoy of three luxurious passenger vans by Korean beauty brand Laneige and also the Global Peace Foundation Malaysia.

The journey there was about 2 hours on the highway from KL to Gopeng, Ipoh and another 20 minutes or so into the deep rainforest /palm tree plantation/ rural area etc on a very nerve wrecking narrow road, thus the necessity for vans, and not just a bus..

I just know there were instances I was praying hard the van stayed on track and holding on tight to the edge of my seat (though little good would it do if something went wrong) . We passed by homestays and even some nice streams / waterfall....

Finally we arrived....I loved the cosy rustic little village here some 500 orang asli (natives) with a mixture of wooden homes and brick homes...But as cosy and nice as the village is did you know that for years these people have been living without any clean treated water and have been consuming untreated surface water from river or ponds for drinking, cooking and washing purpose. and as a result of this, there have been numerous cases of skin problems as well as cases of diarrhea reported which could possibly be due to consumption of contaminated water. The best the villagers could do were to filter the water with a few pieces of coffee strainers or cloth....

How sad right....

We had to cross a little bridge built over a stream to get to the other side though there is also another longer way in to the village....

Anyway on a brighter note, we were here to witness the official handover ceremony of the water filtration system to some 500 orang asli residents there at the Kampung Ulu Geruntum... so that they can now enjoy clean water supply via the water filtration systems that have been installed just about a week ago at their villages.

Installation of the two water filtration systems at the villages were made possible with the recent success of the Laneige Waterful Sharing Campaign 2016 which was a joint collaboration with Global Peace Foundation (GPF). A total of RM80,000 was successfully raised from the recent Laneige Waterful Sharing Campaign that was held from May till end-July.

When we arrived there, we were warmly welcomed by the orang asli who crowned us all with hand made crowns made woven from leaves and flowers , and a hearty lunch meal...

However, to be honest... it was quite weird listening to music from the Descendant of the Sun playing in the background... much as I love those songs... Korean love songs in an orang asli village does not seem to match in my opinion.... heheheheh

As mentioned... I can be fussy at times, as my daughter will also say but I did truly enjoy my simple meal of some Ayam Masak Merah, Anchovies with Stinkbeans (Sambal Ikan Bilis dengan Petai) and Paku Pakis masak sambal . It was delicious and I could not resist eating stinkbeans in an event even though by right it was not actually encouraged... LOL, since it can make our breath stinky...

The ketua kampung known as Tok Batin Jo, expressed his appreciation on behalf of all the villagers for the water filtration system which was a huge relief to the community... at long last they can now enjoy clean water, even during the rainy season as they normally would have to wait for the water to calm before taking water to be filtered for drinking/cooking purposes....

Foong Winnie, Brand General Manager of Laneige Malaysia was grateful that the Laneige Waterful Sharing campaign 2016 was a success and that it was able to contribute towards bringing clean and fresh water to the underpriviledged community of Kampung Ulu Geruntum, Perak and also Kampung Binjai, Pahang, another orang asli/native village that received yet another filtration system .

“Water is essentially important for the survival of any living thing on earth and we humans need clean drinkable water to be healthy. So I’m really glad that Laneige can play a part in helping the underprivileged gain access to clean drinkable water,” said Foong. Foong added that Laneige hopes to reach out to more Orang Asli communities through future collaborations with GPF.

Dr Teh then launched into his explanation to members of the media as well as all the villagers present as to how to water filtration system actually works.....

Dr Teh also stressed on the importance of having clean treated water and that water is one of the basic amenities that helps maintain the well-being of a person.

“Water is the fundamental need of every human being and access to clean drinking water helps to keep sickness at bay. I believe that having clean water is not only a basic human right that all of us are entitled to, but it is also a stepping stone towards improving one’s way of life,” said Dr Teh.

The water filtration systems were specially designed to offer ease of use while effectively generating up to 16,000 litres of pure clean water each day for the villagers. It is a non-electric system that includes a unique siphon backwash feature and contains microfiltration as well as ultrafiltration membranes effective in the removal of impurities without the use of chemicals. It’s a simple and reliable solution that can be easily maintained without skilled manpower.

Some of the excited residences then showed how they collected water for their usages...

...as well as how thrilled they were to be finally drinking clean clear and filtered water...

About 200 sets of toothbrush and toothpaste were given out to the Orang Asli courtesy of Darlie Malaysia as well.... Darlie is a trusted market leader with expertise in oral health care offering quality, innovative solutions to meet evolving consumer needs. The brand also stands for healthy, clean white teeth and a fresh mouth. Darlie has been staying closely to its vision of becoming the leader in the oral care industry by constantly engaging itself in various oral health discussion and activities.

We were all mesmerized by the Sewang Dance Performance using just bamboo as musical instruments....

Tok Batin Jo, Dr Teh and Foong Winnie also joined in the dance.....

Last but not least was a handicraft demonstration for the invited guests by some of the ladies of Orang Asli community... and again, the very sporting Foong Winnie joined in and was seen weaving one of the 'Sumpit'

There was also mengkuang weaving to make a coin pouch or bag....which was actually harder and more challenging then just weaving the 'Sumpit'

A selfie before we got ready to leave Kampung Ulu Geruntum to head back to KL....

Laneige is AMOREPACIFIC’s flagship skincare brand that was established in 1994 in respond to customers’ needs for hydration care and the desire to look radiant and beautiful. Products are formulated specially to safely protect skin cells against internal and external aggressors to strengthen skin immunity, as well as to maintain the skin’s moisture balance for more youthful looking and clear skin. Laneige means snow in French. Just like the snow which is made up of droplets and has the ability to change into a variety of forms and colours with unrestricted time and space, Laneige strives to keep up with the demands and desires of its consumers in the ever-changing market. Laneige has over 200 beauty counters and outlets in 14 countries including Korea, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, France, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Canada and US.

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